Healing Broken Faith
by Darkened Fire Dragon
Summary: Since escaping the Abbey, Vera has been on a mission; put Boris behind bars. But there are more important things to do first though; like find the families of the other children from the abbey, lead her team in a localized tournament, while keeping Boris off her trail in the meantime... Her work has been cut out for her. - B. Rev.xOCs - First THREE chapters OC centric.
1. It Begins Healing Broken Faith

Hello everyone, D.F.D. here! Turns out I've decided to give this fic one more chance. I kind of feel obligated to finish what sprang from the original idea of my very first fic. Hopefully I haven't lost my touch or connections with the characters. SO please forgive me if anyone comes off as Out Of Character (OOC).

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade; characters, original plots, and any of the branch series (i.e., Beyblade Metal Fusion, Metal Fury and BeyWheels, which I don't really know anything about anyways). All rights go to their respectful creators.

Now without further delay, welcoming back the story that once was; Healing Broken Faith

**Chapter 1: It Begins; Healing Broken Faith**

Vera knew if she escaped, not only would there be no turning back, but Boris would chase after her. He would chase her to the far corners of the world to either simply drag her back, or kill her. After all, the secrets of the Abbey must never be released to the outside world! Not that she would want to tell anyone about her experiences within the walls of the horrid place; they were a nightmare simply to be living in.

Vera also knew if she escaped, it would have to be done strategically. She cannot simple tie the blanket to the iron framed bed and climb out the window. It wasn't just because she would be easily caught, but there was also a fifty foot drop from her bedroom to the snow covered ground below. Vera also knew she couldn't escape alone and that there wasn't a single person in the Abbey brave enough to help her.

As far as she knew, she was the only girl stuck inside these walls, so she couldn't play on girls needing to stick together and look out for each other. No, all she saw every single day she was taken out of her locked room was brawny boys either too caught up in pleasing Boris for their own safety, or weak beaten boys on the verge of death, with bruises and scars littering their bodies.

Having been a victim of the regular beatings resulting from failure or less than adequate results, Vera could somewhat understand why none of those boys wanted to help her and themselves get out; if they got caught trying to escape, they would receive harsher punishments than they've ever known, or worse yet, killed on the spot. But Vera also had to wonder, wasn't that incentive enough to _want _to escape at any cost? The only fate one has here is death anyways, especially if you're among the weak.

With a sigh, Vera sat on her bed and watched the sun with her foggy emerald eyes as it slowly began to climb into the sky. She played with her short, matted brown hair. She remembered the very first day she had been brought to the Abbey; that was six years ago, making her eleven now. So easily her five year old self had been fooled; tricked in getting into a car with a complete stranger regardless if he had promised to take her to the police. There were days were she cursed her own stupidity.

Loud banging and shouting suddenly interrupted her thoughts from the hallway, and quickly she moved herself to the centre of the room. The Abbey guards would come into her room eventually, might as well be ready to be dragged off. But it wasn't any of the guards who marched in, but Boris himself, flanked by two of the afore mentioned guards. He was wearing his usual attire, something which made Vera's stomach churn just looking at it. Black mask with red eyes, a horrid olive coloured wool sweater, dark brown pants and an awful green jacket which clashed terribly with his purple hair.

"Good morning Vera." He said in a sickly sweet voice. He was grinning. Vera didn't like Boris' grin, it usually implied he was thinking of something that would make his day far more interesting, and that usually involved a lot of pain. For Vera that is.

"What do I owe the pleasure of having you here?" Vera asked dryly, casting a heavy glare up to the round-bellied man.

"I've simply come to tell you that I've changed your training location. You'll be going to the furthest basement, as well as taking up residence down there." Vera could feel the blood drain from her face as it went cold like ice. She could only stare fearfully at Boris' masked face and watch him gesture for one of the men flanking him to move forward and grab her.

"No!" Vera screamed once her mind processed that the man was reaching for her. She quickly backed away and moved to run across the room, but the man had managed to capture her arms and restrain her in a tight grasp. "No, I don't want to go down there!" She screamed more with all her might, her screams only hurting her throat. "No, let me go! Please, don't bring me down there!" The two men escorted her out of the room where other children, young boys, watched as Vera kicked and screamed her way down the hall. "Stop, please stop! I don't want to go there!" Boris watched with a smug grin on his face, and the other children could only stare helplessly after the girl.

"Let this be a warning to all of you. If you're found to be even planning any attempt at escape, you shall suffer the same fate." The children coward away from Boris as much as they could, each muttering some sort of understanding before returning to their rooms. Boris in the mean time walked down the hallway to return to his study and resort his files. With the adjustments just made, other improvements would have to follow.

The iron doors were opened and Vera was roughly thrown into the room, her body hitting the ground with a thud followed by a loud slap as her skin made contact with the cold, concrete floor. The guardsmen said nothing; they simply closed and locked the iron doors behind them, not even checking to see if Vera was alright. Vera lay on the floor, completely motionless, not even registering that there were other people in the basement room, slowly beginning to crowd around her.

"Are you alright?" Asked a soft feminine voice, confusing Vera as she slowly pulled herself from the floor and into a sitting position. Having only seeing boys in the Abbey, Vera was unprepared to see a fellow girl standing in front of her with genuine concern engraved onto her expression. "Are you hurt?" The girl asked again, this time leaning forward, creating a curtain of thick black unkempt hair around her face.

"I-," Vera hesitated for a moment only to steel herself in confidence. "I'm fine." She answered and finally pulled herself to her feet to look around the dark and damp basement. Various other people were standing in the corners, behind the few pillars or slowly emerging from the shadows which concealed them. "What is this?" The black haired girl made a short hum sound before answering Vera.

"I guess I would call it Hell in a handbag." The seriousness in the girls tone almost terrified Vera, however she knew Hell, and that was the building's main floors. They were in the basement; surely there was something much worse than Hell? "But to answer for real, I guess you could say it's Boris' new project. From what I've pieced together over the last couple days, he's been sending people down here who are either weak, have or were planning on escape or, in our cases, a girl." Vera frowned, not missing the fact that the girl had been down here for more than one or two days.

"Truth be told, no one was actually aware there were girls in the abbey, let alone four of them." Another voice came from the shadows; a girl with knotted and dirtied blonde hair walk towards Vera and the black haired girl. "I'm Alina, everyone heard the smack when you hit the floor, are you sure you're okay?" Vera nodded.

"Vera," She introduced quickly. "I'm fine; I've been though worse after all." She continued with a grim face. "So you're saying, including the three of us, there's another girl here?" The black haired girl nodded.  
"Yeah Cassie; she's in pretty rough shape though. With her condition and the condition of this basement, we're not even sure if she's going to live or not." The girl paused and looked over to the shadows where still maybe people stayed hidden. "I'm Koneko by the way." Vera nodded while clenching her fist and glared into the darkness.

"What's wrong with her?" The two girls seemed to be taken by surprise upon seeing the anger in the girl's eyes.

"Fever, infected wounds, aches, you name it." Alina answered.

"It's sad; from the looks of it she's only a year or two younger than us." Koneko continued with words that lit a fire of fury within Vera.

"Let me see her." The two didn't question the new comer; she wasn't the first to ask after all, though all the others seemed to regret it afterwards. The guided her through the darkness; their eye having been adjusted to the lack of light better than Vera's, when they reached the bed ridden girl with flowing red hair, they stopped.

"This is her, but don't blame us if you regret seeing her." Alina spoke dryly, but Vera ignored her and kneeled down to speak with the girl.

"Hey your name is Cassie, right?" The red head stirred slightly before rolling over revealing a puss-filled scar going down the right side of her face. Vera also noticed other small scratches and bruises but paid them no mind; if she did her fury would only grow stronger. "Hey listen to me, if you get better, I'll take you to a hospital. They'll fix up your injuries, and they'll probably even be able to get rid of the scar." Vera looked into the red head's hazel eyes and through her own eyes she could recognize the hope inside them as she spoke. Similarly Cassie starred into Vera's green orbs with awe. The confidence and determination reflecting back at her almost gave her strength as she listened to Vera's speech. "You'll have to get yourself better though. I know it's going to be hard, but if we're going to escape, you're going to need every ounce of strength you can muster up, got it?" Cassie nodded weakly.

"Got it, captain." Cassie grinned at the surprised expression on not just Vera's face, but Alina and Koneko's as well. Vera returned the grin with a smile. She wasn't too sure about suddenly being given the title or position of captain, but if the authoritative role helped the girl gain strength than she'd use it to advantage. "What about the rest of you?" She called while getting to her feet once more, recalling Koneko saying that she wasn't the only here who had attempted escape. "I have no idea how long it will take to bust out, but when it does happen, I know I can't do it alone, and I'm sure none of you want to rot and die down here, right?" She turned her gaze onto Alina and Koneko next, determined to get their help whatever the cost. "Don't you want to see your families again?" Alina could feel a lump forming in her throat just as she attacked Vera with a hug and tears cascading from her eyes.

"You…" She started, but couldn't make it past a hiccup. "Are you sure we can really go home?" Vera loosened her shocked expression and formed a warm smile on her features as she pet the blonde's hair.

"Don't worry; I've had loads of time on top of many attempts to make an escape plan." Vera explained with a soft laugh.

"Then, I also vote you as our captain." Alina let go of Vera's torso and stood tall on her feet, barely an inch shorter than Vera.

"What are you talking about?" The brunette frowned.

"Isn't it obvious? We're making you our leader. You're probably the only person to come down here who actually has an escape plan." Koneko explained. "Plus Boris came right out and said we would need at least one captain to be chosen amongst the group."

"I see," Vera muttered. She didn't know anything about being a captain; before the abbey she had only just been introduced to the sport of Beyblade. "But to tell you the truth, my plan isn't fool-proof yet. I hadn't ever counted on being sent down here, so I'll need to be touched up a bit."

"That's fine, we can help. We may not look it, but we're smart in our own right!" Alina grinned happily.

"As nice as that is, I think I'd rather keep the plan to myself as long as possible. I don't want anyone to get hurt just because Boris wants to find out what my plan is." Vera explained.

"Hey, we're your friends now. You don't have to work alone." Koneko said. "Besides, didn't you say you'd need help?" Vera was about to reargue her point, but decided against it.

"Until the right time comes then; we're not escaping right away after all, we still have to wait for Cassie's health to get better. No use giving away a plan that could just go to waste by tomorrow."

"Cassie's health? You realize she may not even be alive tomorrow?" Alina whispered, but Vera just shook her head and grinned.

"Are you kidding me? She's going to be fine." Vera then walked away to find her own little corner to sleep in. "Just look in her eyes, she'll live. Just like we all will."

* * *

Ah, it feels good to be writing and old story again. But to be honest, I'm 100% sure this isn't how I originally planned to rewrite it. I got about half way through this chapter before I continued with it, so needless to say I forgot what I wanted to write. I DIDN'T FORGET THE MAJORITY OF THE ESCAPE PLAN THOUGH! No worries about that. =)

D.F.D.


	2. The Pains of Open Wounds

**Chapter 2: The Pain of Opened Wounds**

Of course, not everyone survived. Within a month, Vera has watch nearly half of the children die in the basement she came to know as the Black Hell. She had however been right about Cassie's survival. Each day the red head grew stronger; just last week she had found the strength to get on her own two legs and walk about. Vera was happy for the girl; even happier that she was the one who was able to help save her. Vera only wished she could have done as much for all the others who have already come and gone.

She had more important things to think of now though. With things as they were, Vera figured they'd be escaping soon; maybe within the next month or two. She also figured she'd have to account for about twenty or so of the children here who would be attempting escape with her. She knew what to do with them after escape; it was during that she was worried about. The guards would undoubtedly have weapons; guns and knives to be more exact. Originally she had planned to knock out a guard who came to take her from her room and steal his weapons, but seeing as that wasn't likely to happen, she'd have to alter her plan to include the iron door and the long, single exit hallway just behind it. She also had no idea of what the level above looked like. She knew probably only a quarter of the abbey's hallways and corridors. She had no way of knowing firsthand the most direct route of escape, let alone backup routes.

Of course, she also hadn't counted on a visit from Boris himself.

"Good morning children," He called as soon as the doors opened. "I've come to grant you all a gift. The season's first snowfall came to us last night, and since neither of you have had fresh air in quite some time, I thought this an excellent opportunity to grant you both outside freedom and a chance for your skills to be tested." Happy faces went around the room at hearing the chance to go outside, but Vera wasn't about to let herself be fooled.

"What's the catch?" She called out from her seat on the floor and against the wall, one knee bent and brought close to her chest, while the other stretched out in front of her. She could only wish that her glare would burn holes through Boris' chest, but to no avail. Vera's glare only intensified when she saw the grin stretch across his lips, but the man insisted on playing dumb.

"What on earth are you talking about child? There is no catch; fresh air and a test of strength, that's all there is." Vera was on her feet in a flash, surprising almost everyone present.

"Don't fucking screw with me!" She screamed angrily. "I know you're up to something you bastard. I'm not leaving here; I'd rather waste away in this filth than obey any crap that comes from your mouth." Vera refused to flinch or back off as soon as she noticed Boris was slowly walking towards her. And as soon as the man was starring down to the furious girl, he quickly seized her by the neck and lifted her off the ground. Gasps went around in both shock and fear. Vera could barely hear Cassie calling out her name in alarm.

"Listen her you little brat." Boris walked until Vera's back was painfully pinned up against the wall again. Her hands had wrapped themselves around Boris' wrist in an attempt to pull it away to let air into her lungs. "You will do as I say or face the consequences." Vera coughed out a laugh and starred at Boris with a smug expression.

"Yeah, what are you going to do?" She asked. "It's not like you can do worse than what you've already done. You've killed my parents, kidnapped me, put me through Hell only to send me even deeper into it; there is nothing you can do to me that will make me bow down to your every command, not even death will make me beg for mercy." Boris suddenly tightened his grip around Vera's neck and he, without a second though, threw her to the floor. A loud crack was heard when Vera's head made contact with the cement flooring and Boris just stood over her, waiting to see if she would move. When she made a groan and began to pick herself up, Boris turned and walked away.

"Bring her." He said just before stopping at the entrance. Vera's head snapped up and through blurry vision she watched two guardsmen pick her up by the arms and drag her out the door. "The rest of you will go outside and participate in the testing. If you do not meet the requirement, punishment will be put upon you." As Boris walked away, two remaining guardsmen gathered the children and lead them to the exit. Vera meanwhile was being taken to the opposite side of the building and into a room that looked remotely similar to a laboratory.

Upon entering, Vera was thrown onto a bed where her wrists, ankles and torso were strapped in. She made a brief attempt to struggle out, but came to conclude it was worthless. Or perhaps it was because she didn't want to show fear in front of Boris who had just walked in through the door way.

"Is the serum prepared?" He asked a man in a lab coat, at least she thought it was a man. The blurry vision and sudden exposure to bright lights were playing with her sight.

"Yes sir, just give the word." By voice Vera could confirm it was in fact a man, even if her ears were ringing.

"You're in luck Vera; you will be the test subject for a new product I've had our scientist prepare. You said you weren't afraid of death, now we'll see just how well you live up to your words." Boris nodded towards the scientist who was quick to approach Vera's side with a needle in hand. Before she knew it, the thin piece of steel had been poked through her skin and a burning sensation was quickly spreading throughout her body.

A scream unwillingly escaped her lips and clenched fists tried to rip free of their restrains so that Vera could curl in on herself in hopes of preventing the liquid fire from spreading any further to the rest of her body. A moment passed where the screaming stopped, only to be replaced with soft whimpers and firsts still trying to tug free.

"Are you happy now?" Vera panted heavily as she looked to Boris through one eye as the other was squinted shut. Her stomach dropped however as she bore witness to the wicked grin that became his trademark to her once again creep up onto his features.

"Hardly." He answered. "Remove the straps and follow me."

"I hope Vera will be alright." Alina spoke up as she launched her beyblade into the snow covered ground and watched it spin.

"I'm sure she'll be fine, she's strong after all." Cassie said nervously as she too watched the spinning blade as if entranced.

"I still can't help but worry. I've never seen someone get so angry, not even Boris I think." Alina explained.

"There's also the fact we have no idea where he's taken her. For all we know he just outright killed her and our chances of getting out of here." Koneko spoke up. "I mean, I never really had much hope for the plan to begin with, but she was still our only hope."

"Well, we'll probably find out soon enough. It's about time that they sent us back inside after all." Said Cassie and as if on que, the guards were calling them in. Koneko helped Cassie from the ground as Alina picked up her red beyblade and walked towards the door like drones. Before they knew it, the group had entered the hallway and shortly after in front of the iron doors. No one even hesitated to go through once the doors were opened and heard in towards the middle. By the time the doors had been closed and locked, the girls had somehow blindly made their way to the back wall where Alina suddenly tripped.

"Are you alright?" Koneko asked after hearing the soft squeak of fear.

"Yeah, there's something here that I tripped over." She answered while bending down to feel for the object in the darkness. She first came in contact with the body, a shoulder to be more specific, and then hair; long hair. "Vera?" Alina called, moving to see if it actually was the girl in question, but stopped after her hand landed in a sticky liquid. Her eyesight had slowly begun to adjust to the darkness, and she found herself looking down to a hand stained darker than the room.

"What is it Alina?" Koneko asked, starring down to the floor with a confused expression.

"Blood." The blonde muttered out. Koneko's eyesight had also made the adjustment to the darkness and could now look down to see what the girl was talking about. Vera was lying on the floor covered in blood that had started to pool around her.

"No way," Cassie cried. "Is she still alive?" It was the only thing on her mind and it seemed to snap Alina out of her trance.

"I- I don't know." She answered truthfully, but too afraid to find out.

"I'm fine." They heard a soft voice say. "It could be worse." They heard it again and found it came from Vera herself.

"You are not fine." Koneko nearly shouted. "If you lose any more blood you'll be dead before night even gets here." Vera shuffled and managed to shake her head.

"No way, I'm not dying yet. Not before I kill the bastard." Vera had somehow pulled herself to her hands and knees, although with Alina's assistance. The three of them watched the seething fire burn in Vera's eyes and were reassured. She would survive; she wouldn't go down without a fight. "You only got to see the one exit, right?" Vera asked.

"What? Vera, forget about the escape plan for now, you need to rest and heal those wounds." Koneko argued.

"Which ones?" Vera shot. "I have many wounds, all of which will never heal, even if they have on the surface, until that man has been put in his proper place; six miles below the earth. Now give me the directions you took on your way out and back in; lefts, rights, ups and downs." Vera took in a long and uneven breath.

"Umm, I don't know it was a pretty long walk." Koneko said, baffled as she and Alina helped Vera to sit next to the wall. "The curved hallway outside the doors is up hill then turns right followed by two lefts a right and another two lefts and a right."

"Right, then there's a set of stairs that go up, then a right, left, right, left, right, left, right, left, left and right; it was annoying me the we were zigzagging so much that I was happy it suddenly changed and we were outside." Cassie admitted. Vera was silent for a moment.

"Okay, and how about coming back inside."

"Let's see," Alina started. "I'm pretty sure after the entering the hallway we took a left, two rights, a left, a right, two lefts, two rights… Does mine match yours Koneko; that brings us to the stairs doesn't it?" The black haired girl nodded.

"Yeah, it's the same as we came only backwards. Mine isn't any different." She answered.

"You're one hundred percent sure?" Vera asked seriously.

"Yeah I'm sure, why?"

"Because you took an alternate route back in; a slight difference so that you likely wouldn't notice. The two lefts coming inside; they were supposed to be a left and a right." The three girls started blankly at her. Koneko started to mentally recount the turns and compare them to the returning trip.

"You kept up with that?" Cassie asked surprised.

"I tried to." Vera said.

"She's right." Koneko confirmed immediately after. "That turn was supposed to be a right, not a left. What does that mean for the escape?"

"It means that there's more than one way for us to get out of here. If there's one extra hallway, there will be others so if anyone ever did try to escape they'd attempt to trap us from all sides."

"So then we're screwed." Koneko pouted.

"Hardly, this works for both sides. I just hope we can get more outside time so I can find more exits." Vera sighed.

"I don't think that will happen as soon as you hope it will Vera." Cassie said casually.

"We'll just have to wait and see then I guess."

* * *

Ah, I'm sorry there's so much dialogue in this. xD

Anyways, here's the second chapter. I'm off to write the third, which should be the last that sole focuses on the girls.

D.F.D.


	3. To a Better and Brighter Future

**Chapter 3: To a Better and Brighter Future**

Koneko stood in the center of the large room, her beyblade fisted in one hand and the launcher in the other. She took a moment to look around the vast and dark basement of the abbey; almost everyone was asleep, but she couldn't make a match out of those who were awake. After all, Vera was still in bad shape. She let out a sigh and prepared herself, but it was as if Vera read her thoughts.

"I'm not completely crippled you know; I can still move." Vera called out in a soft tone, surprising the black haired girl.

"Who are you kidding?" She stated. "Your back looks like it went through a shredder; you're in no condition to be getting up." But her words went on deaf ears as Vera pulled herself off the cement floor and slowly walked towards the fellow Beyblader.

"Just be prepared to lose." Vera said with a smug grin across her face. Koneko wore an insulted expression, once again preparing to send her blade onto the attack.

"I'm sorry, but I'll have you know that I am the best blader here."

"Maybe, maybe not; you haven't faced me yet, for all either of us know, I'm the best one here." Koneko frowned.

"You're just putting up a tough front. I mean, you have to be in pain right now. And everyone knows you need to have a clear head to even put up a good fight." Koneko barely caught Vera's surprised expression, but she saw it long enough to know it had actually been there.

"You're right," Vera sighed, looking down to the floor with a solemn expression, only to cast her attention back onto Koneko with a changed demeanour of confidence and seriousness. "My body is screaming at me to sit down and give up. It wants me to just stop fighting, lie on the ground and never get up. But if I do that, I'll die, and I don't want to die yet. There are things I need to fight for before that ever happens." Vera took a black beyblade from her pocket and set it onto its launcher. Both she and Koneko prepared and then released the launch; black and navy blue zipping across the floor.

"My first goal is to get all these kids out of here." She said. "And while everyone is escaping, I'll be making my way to Boris' office to steal his files. With luck, I'll be able to grab the files of every single kid that is and ever has been here." Koneko starred on in bother horror and fascination as the brunette revealed her plans. "If I'm lucky enough to escape after that, I plan on making my way to the NBBA office in hopes of getting in contact with the BBA chairman. From there, I'm hoping we'll be able to work together in finding the kids' families and homes. It might take a couple years, but if it means saving lives, years will seem like days."

"You're insane!" Koneko shouted, her echo startling almost everyone out of their sleep. "What makes you think you're going to be able to do all that alone? You're what, twelve years old? There's no way an adult is going to take you seriously, let alone a man in charge of a big company like the BBA!"

"I didn't say I was going to do it all alone." Vera answered dryly. "Why do you think I told you everything? If I'm going to be the one getting the files, who's going to lead everyone to safety? Between you, Alina and Cassie, you are the one that remembers the escape routes the best." Koneko was taken aback by Vera's statement.

"I- I never said I would help you!" She argued.

"I was getting to that," Vera frowned. "That's why I'm asking you now. Now that you know what I want to do, will you help me?" Koneko could only feel her mouth open and close continuously, no words or sounds coming out. "You'll probably be able to see your parents again." Vera said, hoping that her punch line would be the last thing she needed.

"My parents? I haven't seen them in like, four years." Koneko mumbled, a pleasant smile forming on her face as memories rushed past her. "But how do you plan on finding them?"

"That's why I'm going to the NBBA. As the center of all Beyblading, they'd have to have some connections. I'm hoping with the chairman's help we can get the FBI's help."

"And what about Boris? He's definitely going to find a way to stop us."

"That's something we can worry about when the time comes." Vera answered as she looked down to her and Koneko's spinning blades. "What do you say, will you help?"

"I will." Cassie spoke up from behind Vera. "You practically saved my life already Vera, it's my turn to help you."

"One or two people can't keep control of a large group of kids, count me in too." Alina also said, bringing a smile to Vera's lips and she kneeled to the floor, calling her beyblade back to her hand.

"Thank-you." She said as she closed her fingers around the metal. "Just remember, whatever you do, don't look back. Keep running until you're long gone from here." The trio nodded.

"I only have one question though," Alina started. "When is this happening?"

Alina paced back and forth in her spot. She was getting anxious. Vera had filled them in on her plan over a week ago and almost every day since, the guards and come down and taken her to who knows where for hours and Vera always came back with more injuries than before. Luckily they weren't all severe; they were mostly scratches and bruises. Alina however was starting to wonder if Boris had overheard the plan.

The iron doors to the basement suddenly opened and Alina stopped her pacing, ready to run forward to help Vera after she was tossed inside as usual. Today was different however, Vera walked in with an angry expression on her face, blood staining her hands.

"The guards will be here in about five minutes." She said, and that's when Alina realised there were no guards escorting her.

"You didn't…" Alina trailed off, finally noticing the small dagger hidden among the red as Vera threw it into a dark corner of the basement.

"I didn't, but I will if I have to. I only stopped them from chasing after me so I could get down here without them." Alina nodded at Vera's explanation as she walked over to Koneko and Cassie, both of whom had fallen asleep as they watch Alina's pacing.

"Hey wake up, it's time." She said. Cassie's intelligent response was unintelligible grumbling while Koneko was immediately alert and on her feet.

"Now, are you kidding me?" She asked, sending a glare to their so called leader.

"It was spur of the moment!" Vera argued as soon as she caught the look she was getting.

"Oh great, spur of the moment. That doesn't make us prepared at all!"

"Can you just do it?" Vera shouted. "I can hear them coming." Koneko stayed silent and marched towards the doors where Vera stood. "What are you doing?" Vera asked.

"Defying authority; you can't fight them all off by yourself you know. Alina and Cassie can handle getting the kids out her on their own. While you grab those files, I'll gather as many kids from the upper floors as I can." Vera starred at the black haired girl only to smile and let out a short laugh. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," Vera answered with her smile still present. "It's just nice to have a friend you can count on. Remind me to name you co-captain later, kay?" Koneko could feel the blush creep up onto her face as she looked away from Vera and up the turning hallway the guards were now appearing in.

"That doesn't make me happy you know." She said as she charged forward, leaving a grinning Vera behind in her dust.

"Whatever you say, Neko-chan." Vera teased as she too charged forward and proceeded to hit and choke the grow men into consciousness. By the time the two of them cleared the way, seven men lay on the ground while the pair breathed heavily for oxygen. Their bodies were bruised and battered more than ever, but they could stop to take a break. "Alina and Cassie get going. We'll meet you as soon as we can. No matter what, stay hidden until one of us arrives." Alina lead the charge without question, Cassie stayed behind to round up the last of the group, urging them to follow everyone else.

"What do you mean by one of you?" Cassie glared at Vera. The brunette had to give her a compliment; she wasn't as airheaded as she originally thought.

"She means if either of us are going to be the ones to get caught, it'll most likely be her, right?" Koneko turned to very who nodded.

"It's like you took the words right out of my head. But seriously, we need to hurry. There will be guards on the border, you-"

"We can take care of them Vera, not everyone who was down here had given up on life you know. Some of those boys are pretty strong." Cassie interrupted and stuck her tongue out before she ran off after the group.

"Okay, our turn. You obviously know where his office is, right?" Vera pried her attention away from the retreating Cassie and back onto Koneko.

"Yeah, in the left wing." She answered. "There aren't many kids in that area if you wanted to go in that direction with me and start there."

"Sounds good." The two of them were off, running though hallways and passing stairways as they approached the left wing. "Where are all the guards?" Koneko asked, pointing out the obvious fact that not a single guard was around to interrupt their mission.

"Maybe they thought all of us went outside? I mean, why would anyone stay inside if we're trying to escape right?" Vera asked as they took a hard corner. Koneko could only agree. "Take these stairs; they'll lead you to the rooms. Boris office is at the end of this hall." And the two split ways, only half expecting to see each other again.

As Vera neared the office door, she slowed herself to a walk and paused before testing the unlocked doorknob. Slowly she peaked inside to find the office empty. Even if she thought it might be a trap, Vera didn't waste a second getting what she wanted. She ripped open filing cabinets and took out all the files to put them on the desk. By the time she empted the entire thing, along with what was in the desk, she found herself stuck. There were too many files for her to simply run out with in her arms.

In a panic, Vera looked around the office for something to use as a bag. Anything!

"Here." The voice put her on guard, but didn't prepare her for the object landing on her head. Quickly she ripped it off to find a guard standing in the door way. Noticing the suspicious glare Vera was giving him, he quickly spoke. "Not all of us are here because we want to be; just like you kids." He explained. "I'll help you out the best I can." Although still weary, Vera nodded and took the chance to look down at the large bag in her hands. The files would definitely fit in this. Without hesitating, Vera proceeded to stuff all the files inside. If they got messed up, she'd resort them later. But it was all too easy. Vera knew this as she zipped up the bag. Where was Boris? Why was everything in his office open to begin with?

"You're a very clever girl, I'll give you that much." A painful groan followed by a thud onto the floor came from the door. The guard had fallen with Boris stepping over him to enter his office. "I knew you would try to escape, it was just a matter of when. And even though you won't be escaping, I thought I would let you know that you would have ran off without the files you wanted most of all." Vera starred at Boris unamused.

"And which files are those?" She asked, to which he responded by tossing it across the floor.

"Yours." Vera saw her name written on the tab out of the corner of her eye. "And hers," Another file tossed beside Vera's, reading Alina's name. "And hers," Cassie's. "And finally, hers." Koneko's was the last.

"You're fucking hilarious. For all I know those are fakes and I have the real ones."

"Or you have all the fakes and the real ones are hidden somewhere else."

"Why go through the process?" Vera asked smugly.

"Sadly you're right. But it won't be a mistake I'll make again. Once I've killed you, no one will ever make the attempt to escape again, and no one will know where to find the real copies." Until that point where Boris was raising his fist, Vera hadn't noticed the blade Boris was holding in his hand. If she didn't do something, he would kill her. She reached for something solid and heavy on the desk, as she frantically looked around Boris' large body for a chance to escape. She found it when the guard pulled himself off the floor and began to charge for Boris' back.

"Run, get out of here and don't ever come back!" The guard shouted as he restrained Boris and his arm.

"You insolent fool, release me!" Vera could hear Boris shout as she frantically ran. She'd have to get to the center building before she could go out into the yard and continue her escape. She quickly rounded corners without stopping until she came to the exit where she hid behind the alcove door way and starred out to the snow covered grounds that were between her and the forest that marked her freedom. Bodies lay everywhere; not just dead and unconscious guards, but shot down children as well.

"Damn it." Vera cursed herself. She knew the plan wasn't going to go without a hitch, but she was always hopeful. Her only hope of making it across the field without being caught by the remaining guards was to just run. Vera counted to three. Vera counted to four and ran. She barely noticed the men shouting commands to chase after her. She barely noticed the dead children's blood beginning to stain the snow red. She barely noticed the fact that she was already climbing over the fence and dashing off into the trees. She only realized she was safe until couldn't run any further and collapsed to the ground.

Before she knew it, she was laughing happily, starring up to the blue sky from below the trees. She had made it, now all she had to do was find all the others and get the second half of the plan in motion.

* * *

I'm SO sorry if this chapter seems both jumpy and rushed. I remember by the office point that I was going to have a guard help her out, but I was conflicted with it by that point because I didn't want to go all the way back and include him into an earlier point. Plus I figured since Vera would just be running off of adrenaline by this point, she wouldn't have it in her to put of a decent fight with Boris. So I included him there.

NEXT CHAPTER! The Bladebreakers make their entrance! Set two years after BEGA! Should I return their name to Bladebreakers, or keep it as BBA Rev? R&R everyone!

D.F.D.


End file.
